Metz and Nancy – Part 1
They both kick Paris’s you know what.
Yes, Paris has the famous museums and landmarks. Yes, it’s way cooler to say “I went to Paris this weekend” than “I went to Nancy and Metz”. Either way, I had a great time. I was supposed to stop in Strasbourg on the way home, but I really wasn’t feeling it. I no longer question these things and I’ve been to Strasbourg many times. I even spent the night on several occasions. It’s just a little over two hours from home, so I can go back any time.
Anyway, not what I wanted to talk about.
My trip started on Friday morning. I took the bus to Aarau, ran into a friend and she joined me on the train to Basel. I had quite a bit of time to kill so I bought some lunch for the train. I like that train station. It’s changed a lot since I worked in Basel back in 2003-2005. I especially like that it has a bit of a quirk. Next to track 4 is track 30, but you can’t access it directly. It’s the secret French part of the station. You have to take a little detour and walk past a super expensive chocolate shop. Don’t get me wrong, it's amazing chocolate, but even Swiss people think twice about whether they want to splurge on it or not. I didn’t.
I found my preferred seat on the train – no reservation needed on this one. And off we went
I was a bit worried about only having 10 minutes to change trains in Strasbourg, especially since the SNCF website didn’t give me any indication of what track I would arrive on or what track my connection would leave from. I needn’t have worried. I got off my train and the track I needed was right there. It sort of continued from the track I arrived at. Took me 30 seconds to get there. Also, my first train was perfectly on time.
Now let me tell you something about the train ride from Basel to Strasbourg. Try to get a seat on the left if you can. There are so many castles on tops of hills, you’ll be amazed. And since the hills are all on your left, that’s where you see them best. I’ve been to most of those castles. Some of them you can drive up to, others you have to climb a hill to get to. It’s a wonderful area.
The Alsace region is politically interesting as it was passed back and forth between Germany and France. And by being passed back and forth I mean there were bloody wars. I’m surprised that they managed to agree that the border between their countries is in the middle of the river Rhine. Although, it’s probably easier than to have the entire river as the border and share that responsibility. That’s the case between Luxembourg and Germany just a bit further north. Not the same river though.
The train route does not follow the Rhine, but it does run close to the border. As does the freeway. It’s an area where the freeway is indeed “free”. What you usually find in France is that you have to pay for at least some stretches of their freeway system. Not here – there’s no point. People would just avoid the area altogether and drive up the A5 that runs parallel in Germany.
It’s unsurprising that all train announcements are made entirely in French. It’s a matter of pride. And it’s not like the train crosses over into Germany. It does start in Switzerland in an area where (Swiss) German is spoken though. So, I’d have expected the first announcement when leaving the station in Basel to be done in German and/or English as well. Just in case you wanted to nice to your non-French-speaking passengers.
Was this a preview of the French rudeness you hear so much about?
As I mentioned changing trains in Strasbourg was super easy. I didn’t see much of the station though. I was on the next train for a bit longer and it was very uneventful. I lost my cell signal a bunch of times as we went through tunnels and across some hills. Not a problem usually but if your ticket is on an app and can’t be opened unless you have cell service – well, anyway … I had made screenshots for that very reason, so everything was fine. Just something to consider.
Then I made a mistake. One I should have known not to make. I looked at Google reviews for my hotel. People had posted terrible things. And that’s the frame of mind I showed up at reception with. Seriously, don’t do that. Then I got stuck on the French word for “cash”. Also, the guy at reception totally mumbled. We managed to figure it out. Of course, I also thought “hang on! Was that really the price?” and double-checked on my phone before I paid. That went down really well.
The room was exactly what I’d expected for the money and the two-star rating. Even a bit better than expected. It was super clean and the bed very comfy and it did not touch the wall on three sides like at previous hotels. I was able to open the window just fine – unlike a google reviewer. The AC worked but you had to be able to read the symbols – no words. I put it on standby by accident but figured it out quite easily. Not sure what those people were on about. Looking back they sounded like entitled people who thought they could save a buck or two by booking a 2-star hotel and then complain that it didn’t offer 5-star comfort. I was very comfortable in my room.
Would I have booked this kind of room traveling with children or on my honeymoon – nope, of course not. It sounds like some people had done just that. I might have overheard an argument in the room next door … but I digress.
I didn’t really have much time to think, as I wanted to head straight to Metz and I only had 15 minutes to make it to the station, activate the correct ticket on the app and hop on the train. Not a problem really but I needed to get organized quickly.
Powerbank – check.
Phone charger – check.
Water – check.
And off I went. What I didn’t remember to get out of my backpack were my Euros. As in cash. Not really a big problem as I used my credit card for most things anyway, but I wanted to have some Euro coins on me just in case. First stop when I arrived in Metz – ATM and then buy some random gum at a kiosk using cash. Felt better once that was done.
Of course, I just spent 1200 words telling you about how I got there, instead of about Metz itself. Makes perfect sense 🙄.
Now, had I done some actual research, I’d have known that there was a mirabelle festival on Saturday. If you don’t know mirabelles – look them up. They are like small yellow plums. Super tasty and the area is well known for them. I would still have gone on Friday, because that was my Interrail travel day and it was “free”. On Saturday I would have had to pay extra for the train ride. Still a bit annoyed that I didn’t know. It was on the news on Saturday and it looked like fun.
Stay tuned for part 2.
And how about a guessing game of how many books I bought in Metz. Or how many pictures I took. Or how many steps I walked on Friday.
3 books, 47 photos (it would be nice to see more, hint, hint). I know nothing about the steps thing.
Sounds like a great alternative to the more crowded city.
I just love traveling with you, dear friend! 😘